He operated as a herdsman for twelve years before
now employing herdsmen himself. In this
interview, the Maiduguri -born Shua Arab speaks
on the danger armed herdsmen pose to society
and what can be done to check the menace.
There is tension now in Nigeria as a result of
the activities of cattle rearers in parts of the
country. As a leader of your people, the Shua
Arabs, what do you say?
The problem
between cattle rearers and farmers,
which was even rampant in the North, is well
known to us. It is a matter that should be left to
the government of the states and traditional
rulers. We will ask that traditional rulers find a
way to create a safe passage for cattle rearers
and their cattle. That is my advise to Fulani
cattle rearers, which I am part of, although I am
Shua Arab. For our people of Shua Arab, our
herdsmen operate in Borno, Yobe and Yola. We
don’t bring our cattle for grazing in southern
Nigeria. However, if we detect a fat cattle, we
can send them for sale in the southern market.
It is the Fulani cattle rearers that come to
Yorubaland, Igbo land and even they go as far as
Cotonou and even some parts of Ghana, to graze
their cattle. The Shua Arab don’t come to the
south of Nigeria, we operate in the North. So, I
will advise the Fulani herdsmen who come to the
South not to allow little children as herdsmen,
they should ensure that only adults, mature men
are entrusted with the task of taking the cattle
for grazing. This is because if you send little
boys to follow the cattle, instead of leading the
cattle, they follow them, and may not know when
the cows enter someone’s farms. The little
boys can lead the cattle in the forest, but not on
farmlands. Meanwhile, if they are grazing on
planted fields, they should ensure that only
experienced adults handle the cattle to ensure
they don’t damage people’s crops. That is how
we handle the cattle in Maiduguri. If the herd is
grazing near the village, it is expected that
experienced adults should handle them, but when
they enter the forests, away from people’s
farms, we allow children to graze the cattle.
ALSO READ: Nobody Can Oppose Buhari Over Cattle Rearing - Igbo Senator
You are saying there is a difference between
Shua Arab herdsmen and Fulani herdsmen?
We are the same, but we differ in
language and a little bit of customs. The
cattle rearers are the same, the way they
operate is the same way we operate.
Don’t forget we also are farmers. That is
the reason during our farming season, we
don’t allow little boys to lead the cows,
because there is also the possibility of
small boys following the cows and so the
cattle can stray into farms. It happens
even in our own farms and we don’t
accept it. Also farmers should be patient
with cattle rearers, because if you
produce guinea corn, maize, yam, etc,
you need meat to enjoy the meals. They
go hand-in-hand. Also you who own the
cows, you can’t simply kill one and eat
the meat from morning till night. So, cow
meat and farm produce should go
together.
You celebrated the victory of President
Muhammadu Buhari at the polls last
year. Then you confirmed you own cattle
and you have herdsmen. Today, these
herdsmen carry AK47 rifles. What is the
purpose of these heavy weapons with
which they commit atrocities: killing
people, raping women, robbing people,
etc?
It is very unfortunate for cattle rearers to carry
weapons, talkless of heavy weapons like AK47.
Herdsmen are not supposed to carry weapons,
they carry sticks. If people see cattle rearers
carrying weapons like AK47, they should report
to the police or army, so they can be arrested,
investigated and prosecuted. They should not
carry weapons. I have a farm in Minna, Niger
State, if I see cattle rearers there with AK47, I
will call security agencies to arrest them. It
should not be tolerated.
Who supplies these weapons?
I don’t know. It seems a very new development.
In the past, cattle rearers only carried arrows,
ada (machete) and sticks as they moved from
forest to forest. That is all they were entitled
to. They are not expected to carry guns. Those
herdsmen who carry guns are thieves. People
should check them. The police should arrest
them and ask them how they acquired such
sophisticated weapons. Security people should
arrest their sponsors and ask them how they
acquired the weapons. It is dangerous and they
use these weapons to commit all kinds of
crimes: murder, rape and armed robbery.
Now there are three bills before the National
Assembly, seeking that state governments
provide grazing land or ranches for these violent
group. How far can these bills go?
If they pursue the matter successfully it will be
good. You should understand that in the world
now, there are few countries that still engage
herdsmen. Only the countries of Nigeria, Chad,
Cameroun and Sudan that still have cattle
rearers. In America, one man can have one
million cows, but he provides them with grass
under an enclosure. It is only in Africa that
people follow cattle to graze from place to
place. If you are moving from place to place
and in the process start killing people, how can
those people accept you to come back and graze
in their land I, personally wouldn’t sanction that.
If you come to my community and you carry
arms and kill the people I will not allow you any
further access, because you are dangerous.
So, what is your advise to members of the
National Assembly (the Senate and Members of
the House of Reps.) on these bills?
My advise to the Senators and Members of the
House of Representatives is to try to get a
grazing route for the cattle rearers. If there is
no route where cattle can pass, it cannot be
good, because they must go somewhere with
these cattle. We should tell ourselves the truth,
there is no way cattle cannot get rearers. But
what we do condemn are those herdsmen who
carry weapons and terrorise people. That is not
good. Nowadays, if you go to Maiduguri and
someone greets you, you say, ‘are you a
Maiduguri man?’, the response you get is, ‘no, he
is a Boko Haram’. It is very painful. It is the
same thing they want to bring to the South by
these irresponsible acts. To me, it is bad. I will
never support cattle rearers to carry heavy
weapons. I will want my fellow owners of cattle
to do something about this. I am Sultan of Shua
Arab, I will advise the Sariki of Fulani, so we can
do something about it. Let him call his people
together. If, for instance, I have a cow and I
employ you as herdsman, if you follow my cow
and I see that no cow is missing, none has been
killed, and you the cattle rearer is coming home
to my house with expensive clothes or cash, I
should ask you how you got the money to buy
the clothes or the money you are spending. I
must ask you the question: “You are following
my cows, you go and come back, my cows are
intact, you never asked me for money for your
further upkeep and tomorrow, you come home
with N5,000, N10,000 or N50,000, I will ask how
you got it”. My fellow leaders should be able to
ask such questions to their cattle rearers. ‘My
cows are intact, you are sleeping in my house,
yet you are bringing such money in, I must ask
you how you get it. I know that as far back as
1958, government was collecting taxes from us
cattle rearers. Then I was in the bush. I was
following cows. They were collecting 50 kobo for
each cow. If you have 100 cows you multiply
those by 50 kobo, the same if 10, you pay for
those, if you had one, the same thing. Farmers
were paying N1 for each person and N2 for
husband and wife. Then there was no money as
such, and there was little fuel.
There is this thinking by many people that the
little stick carried by herdsmen has magical
powers. Is this true?
(laughter) I have been a cattle rearer myself, and
I can tell you there is no magic in the stick. I
was a cattle rearer for 12 years. I will follow
cattle from Maiduguri to Enugu on foot. From
Minna to Ibadan, I did the journey with cattle.
Then there was no trailers as you have them
now, not many vehicles as they are today. We
trek the whole distance. From Chad Republic,
we buy cows and take them to Ibadan, all the
journey on foot. We travel to Warri, Port
Harcourt, sometimes you spend three to four
months before you get to your destination. I
followed cow from Ogbomosho to bring them to
Ibadan.
You supported Buhari for President last year.
What can say about the ‘change’ he promised
Nigerians?
It is difficult to repair what has been damaged.
By the time Buhari came to power, there was no
security in Nigeria, no road, no hospitals, no
money. Now he has managed to retrieve money
from corrupt people. As at now, the Senators
and Members of the House are not cooperating
with him. See the Budget that was sent for
more than three months, nothing has been done
about it. He is supposed to sign it. Normally,
whenever things like this happens, they are
expected to meet with the President to plead
with him to sign it into law. If there is anything
they want to add in the Budget or remove from
it, they should sit together to iron it out. The
way they are operating, they are killing the
country. He is President, he can give money for
projects with or without the approval of these
people, but he wants to follow the law. My
advise however to Buhari is that he should
cooperate with the National Assembly men so
that the common man will not continue to suffer.
I am only advising, I have no power like them,
they are in government, but I am outside the
government.
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